Second Best
by MadArcher98
Summary: [Highschool AU] Zelena was promised a spot in the top classes, only to be replaced by the principal's daughter Regina. This betrayal leads Zelena down a dark path of retribution.
1. Silver and Gold

When the school bus stopped outside the gates of Storybrooke High School, Zelena was the first one to step off. Stepping through the school gates, she carried an air of confidence with her as her schoolbag hung loosely from one shoulder. Zelena vaguely remembered the first time she entered Storybrooke High, and how frightened she was. Up until high school, she had been home-schooled by her dad, so the idea of spending all day away from home with other teenagers she didn't know was a terrifying prospect. However, as time went by, Zelena made acquaintances and managed to comfortably fit in with a group of girls. Now, she was in tenth grade, and going to high school brought very little anxiety to her now, mainly because there was nothing to fear. Socially, she was comfortable. Academically, she was sky-rocketing, to the point where it was practically guaranteed that she would get in a spot in the Gold classes this year.

For Grades 10 to 12, there was a system at Storybrooke High. There were Gold classes, reserved for the best of the best. Secondly, there were Silver classes, which were for people who were smart but not as smart as the Gold students. Finally, there were the general classes. Nobody who attended general classes were special. As far as the high school hierarchy went, the generals were considered dregs of society.  
After achieving good grades in Grade 9, Zelena had been all but promised by the school that a special spot waited for her in Gold this year.

Zelena made her way across the Grade 10 area - a courtyard lined with benches, with each section of the courtyard naturally reserved for each respective social group. Her friends were sitting on a bench next to one of the gardens. Zelena walked over to her friends, who eventually noticed her.  
"Hey Z!" exclaimed Glinda.  
"Hi Zelena," said Regina cheerfully.  
"Hey girls," Zelena waved back as she approached, before taking a seat next to Regina. Out of all of her friends, Regina Mills was her favourite. Regina and Zelena had a close connection, almost like sisters. Aside from Zelena and Regina, there was also Glinda, Ursula and Cecilia, who Zelena spoke to but wasn't really close to.  
After twenty minutes of catching up with what had been going on, the siren blared, and they made their way to the assembly hall. When they arrived, the hall was packed, and finding available seats while navigating their way through the bustling and chatty crowd was a frustratingly difficult task. However, Zelena and Regina managed to find chairs next to each other. The other girls found seats behind them. When everyone was sitting down, the principal walked onto the platform at the front of the hall, and the crowd of students went silent.  
"Good morning everyone," Mrs. Mills leaned into the microphone, "Welcome to another year of high school. I see some new faces up the front, and near the back, I see students in their final year before graduation..."  
Mrs. Mills wasn't just the principal: she was also Regina's mom, and - according to Regina - a heartless bitch.  
 _"When she found out I was dating Daniel, she freaked out,"_ Regina once said, _"She took my phone and sent him a break-up text, pretending to be me."_ If what Regina said was true, then Principal Cora Mills was a force to be reckoned with.

As the assembly went on, Zelena nearly found herself falling asleep, and stifled several yawns throughout the announcements. That was, until, they came to the announcement regarding the Gold classes. The vice principal handed Mrs. Mills a sheet of paper, which she read.  
"If I call out your names, you will be attending the Gold classes this year..." she then proceeded to read out a list of students, "...Anastasia, Ariel, Aurora..."  
"Oh great," muttered Zelena quietly, "Alphabetical order."  
That meant she'd have to wait until the very end. Eventually, Mrs. Mills reached the latter half of the list.  
"...Regina, Tiana, Ursula..."  
She was getting closer.  
"...Wendy, Will and William."  
Zelena waited to hear her name.

But she didn't.

"Let's all give a round of applause to these newest additions to the Gold classes," Mrs. Mills said in conclusion. As the assembly hall erupted in applause, Zelena looked around, panic in her wide blue eyes.  
"There's got to be a mistake," Zelena said to Regina, but her friend didn't hear her. Regina was occupied by people sitting in front of them, who were congratulating her. There's been an error, Zelena thought, That's all it is. An error. This sort of thing happened, and more often that the school would care to admit.  
"Now," said Mrs. Mills, moving on, "If you hear your name called out, you're in Silver classes: Anton, Arthur, Ashley..."  
Zelena tensed. Suddenly, a thought ate away at her attempts to regain confidence that she was right and they had blundered.  
 _No. It can't be. They wouldn't.  
_ "...Sean, Tamara, Tod..."  
Doubt began to grow deep inside her.  
"...Vanessa, Victor, Zelena."  
"No," whispered Zelena aloud.  
"Wait a minute," Ursula's voice came from behind her, "I thought Zelena said she was in Gold."  
Zelena turned around sharply.  
"I am," she snapped, defensively.  
"Well, apparently you're not," shrugged Cecilia.  
"Don't worry, Z..." Glinda smiled, "...I'm sure they made some mistake. You should go to the front office later and find out what's going on."  
Zelena nodded,  
"Oh, don't worry, I will."

When the assembly concluded, Zelena separated from her group and walked to the front office. When she arrived, a lady behind a desk saw her.  
"What can I do for you?" she asked.  
"I'd like to speak to the principal," said Zelena.  
"She's not available right now."  
"The vice principal, then," Zelena replied curtly. The lady examined her for a moment.  
"Do you have an appointment?"  
"No," answered Zelena.


	2. It's Not Fair

"I'd like to speak to the principal," said Zelena.

"She's not available right now."  
"The vice principal, then," Zelena replied curtly. The lady sitting behind one of the desks in the front office examined her for a moment.  
"Do you have an appointment?"  
"No," answered Zelena.  
"Well, I'll just go and see if he's available."  
The lady got up from her chair and walked over to the vice principal's office. She knocked on the door, before entering. Zelena watched as the lady exchanged words with the vice principal, constantly glancing over at Zelena and nodding while she did so. Eventually, the lady walked over to Zelena.  
"Go on. He'll see you now."  
Zelena walked over to the vice principal's office and lingered in the doorway. Sitting behind a desk of dark polished wood was the vice principal, Mr. Walsh. He was holding a banana in one hand, and using the other to rapidly type away at his computer.  
"I've got a meeting in five minutes," said Mr. Walsh, "Make it quick."  
Zelena entered the office and sat down on the other side of the desk.  
"There's been a mistake," Zelena explained, "I was told that I was going to be in the Gold classes next year. Instead, I've supposedly been put into Silver."  
Mr. Walsh looked at her and narrowed his eyes,  
"What's your name?"  
"Zelena Green."  
"Green..." Mr. Walsh stopped what he was doing, and clicked on his mouse several times, staring at the screen, "...I see. Yes, you were originally slated for the Gold classes, but your position was replaced.  
"Replaced?" said Zelena, bewildered, "By who?"  
"Regina Mills."

At that moment, the world stopped making sense.

"I...I don't understand..." Zelena spluttered, "...how...?"  
"Your grades were initially higher than Regina's," explained Mr. Walsh, "but that was before Regina redid the end-of-year Math test."  
"Re...did? W-What do you mean...?"  
Mr. Walsh sighed,  
"Regina got a poor result on her Math test, which she later said was because she was experiencing a migraine. Therefore, she redid the Math test, and got a much better score, therefore achieving a grade that surpassed your own."  
"When did this happen?" Zelena's eyes narrowed. Her shock and terror was slowly being replaced by something else.  
"Before the end of the year."  
"That's not possible," Zelena shook her head, "There's no way Mrs. Tremaine would have let her redo a fucking test!"  
"Watch your language, Miss Green," scolded Mr. Walsh, "I'm sorry but she did."  
Zelena was struggling to understand how such a thing could have happened, when a thought crossed her mind.  
"Mrs. Mills..." whispered Zelena, "...Regina's mother. The principal. This...this is cheating! This is nepotism!"  
"You'll calm down right now and stop with the accusations," Mr. Walsh rose from his seat, "There's no indication whatsoever that a student cannot do the test after the arranged time if they are sick."  
"Well, that _should_ be the case if the teachers are _working for_ that student's mom," retorted Zelena.  
"I won't tolerate your nonsense in my office. Get out."  
Mr. Walsh pointed at the door. Zelena stood up, scowling at the vice principal, and seething with rage.  
"This isn't over," she hissed, before storming out of his office.

 ** _Nepotism._**

Zelena rushed through the school corridors, fighting the urge to cry.

 ** _Injustice._**

"This isn't fair," she whispered to herself, pushing the door to the girls' bathroom open. She let her schoolbag fall off her shoulder and land on the floor, and clutched the edges of the sink. Zelena stared at herself in the mirror with eyes that brimmed with anger and tears. Her education, her _future_ had been compromised just because Regina's mommy was in charge.

 _ **Corruption.**_

She pulled out her phone and went through her contacts until she found Regina's name. She pressed it, and the phone dialled. Zelena was going to tell Regina exactly what was going on: that Regina had unjustly replaced Zelena in the Gold classes. Regina was her best friend, and she'd understand. She'd probably confront her mom and demand that Zelena be returned to her rightful position.  
 _Or would she?_ The thought came from nowhere.  
"She would," Zelena muttered at her reflection, "She's my friend."  
Then she cast her mind back to the assembly, when Regina's name had been in the list of Gold students, and Zelena's hadn't.  
 _"There's got to be a mistake," she had said to Regina, but she didn't hear Zelena, distracted by people congratulating her.  
_ Had Regina really not heard her? Maybe she was ignoring Zelena, because she knew very well that she had achieved Gold through foul play. Regina didn't even seem very upset that Zelena had not been in the list of Gold students. It was a conspiracy, orchestrated by the principal. She really was a heartless bitch, willing to ruin one girl's life simply to watch her own daughter achieve. _It was an abuse of power and authority._ There was no point talking to a teacher or other staff member about it, since they were all on the principal's payroll...  
"Hello?" Regina's voice startled Zelena, who had been so lost in her own thoughts that she forgot she had dialled Regina and was holding the phone to her ear. Zelena froze, not saying a word. "Zelena, are you there? I, uhh, I can't talk. I'm in class. Bye."  
The phone hung up. _She's in class. Gold class. Rub it in, why don't you?  
_ Zelena's breathing grew heavy, then she threw her phone at the bathroom mirror. Her phone broke into pieces, while the impact only cracked the mirror slightly. Zelena looked down at her broken phone, wide-eyed, before bursting into tears, falling to her knees.

 ** _They aren't going to get away with this._**


	3. New Guy

As the bell for lunch echoed around Storybrooke High, Zelena picked up her schoolbag and dried her tears, before walking out of the girls' bathroom. The school corridor was bustling with students chatting and walking as they made their way to their respective areas, but she couldn't hear them. Zelena's mind was clouded by her own thoughts. She kept reliving this morning over and over again, when she found out in front of the whole school that she was going to be in Silver classes instead of Gold, when she found out that her seemingly secured position in the Gold classes had been usurped by none other than her best friend. And not because Regina had any superior academic qualifications, but because her mom was the school's boss.

Zelena reached the Grade 10 area where her friends were sitting at their usual bench. Trying to steady herself, she took a deep breath.  
 _Don't let it show_ , Zelena told herself, as she approached the bench.  
"There you are," said Ursula, when Zelena sat down.  
"Where were you?" Regina asked.  
"Front office," replied Zelena dully.  
"Did you sort it all out?" asked Glinda, "Have they put you back in Gold level?"  
"No," said Zelena, "Apparently somebody else took my place."  
"Really?" Cecilia lifted an eyebrow, "Who?"  
Zelena shifted her gaze to Regina, who seemed just as curious as the other girls. _Maybe she doesn't even know...  
_ "They wouldn't say," Zelena lied.  
"How can they just do that?" Glinda shook her head, "You were promised a seat at the Gold classes, right? They can't just take that away from you when you haven't even done anything wrong. I think you should file a complaint against the school."  
At the suggestion, a look of concern flashed across Regina's face. _Or maybe she does know.  
_ "Maybe I should," nodded Zelena. Of course, she had no intention of making a complaint. The school would just come up with some bullshit excuse. She had seen it done before. Students she knew had made complaints against teachers to no avail. Storybrooke High was adept at covering their tracks and saving their own skin, and a complaint made against the school itself would probably demote Zelena all the way to general classes - and there was no way in hell that was going to happen.  
"Hey," Regina spoke up, eager to change the subject, "Did you hear about the new guy?"  
"What new guy?" Zelena asked.  
"He transferred over here from Sherwood High," said Regina. _Of course she'd be the first to hear about it._  
"What's his name?" Glinda chimed in.  
"Robin Locksley," Regina responded, "I caught a glimpse of him this morning."  
"Is he cute?" gasped Cecilia.  
"No," smiled Regina, "He's absolutely fucking gorgeous!"  
The girls all giggled, aside from Zelena, who simply gave a half-hearted smile.  
"You should ask him out," Ursula suggested, grinning.  
"I wouldn't know what to say," Regina shrugged.  
"You should ask him if he wants to go to the diner with you after school," suggested Cecilia, "I'm working a shift there this afternoon, I'll give you two a discount."  
"I can't," said Regina, "Not today. My mom says I can't go anywhere on school days until I've finished my homework, and did you see the assignment Miss Blanchard gave us in first period?"  
"Damn..." Cecilia muttered, "...Why is your mom so...y'know?"  
"She just wants what's best for me," Regina explained defensively. Zelena narrowed her eyes, as something brewed in her mind. After a moment of silence, Zelena spoke up.  
"I'll do it."  
"What do you mean?" Regina arched an eyebrow, confused.  
"I'll do your assignment for you," Zelena smiled, "You should go out with him."  
"What? No, no..." Regina laughed nervously, "...You really don't have to do that."  
"Your mom might want what's best for you, but so do I," said Zelena, "You shouldn't let schoolwork bog you down when there are other things you should be doing while you have a chance."  
Regina looked down at her shoes, as if contemplating Zelena's offer. Finally, she nodded.  
"Thank you, Zelena," then Regina looked across the courtyard, "Oh my god. There he is."  
"Go on!" Cecilia urged, "Go say hi! Ask him out!"  
"Alright, alright," Regina tried not to blush as she rose from the bench and made her way across the courtyard.  
"That was really nice of you to do that for her," Glinda said. She looked over at Zelena, who smiled back at her. Zelena and the others watched as Regina caught Robin's attention and introduced herself. They began chatting, and Regina managed to get a few smiles and even a laugh out of him. Then, she pointed in the direction of where the diner was, still talking, and Robin said something in response, nodding. Regina had a big smile on her face when she came back over to the bench.  
"Well?" asked Ursula, excitedly.  
"He said yes," Regina said, and the others cheered. Zelena watched them all rejoice and revel in Regina's success, and her smile slowly faded into a scowl.

After school, Regina handed her homework file over to Zelena outside the school gates. Zelena tucked it away in her schoolbag.  
"Again, thank you," said Regina.  
"No worries," replied Zelena, "Have fun on your date."  
"I'm gonna go home and get changed first," Regina smiled, before walking over to her bus. Zelena watched her go, and only left when Regina got on the bus. As she began walking the other way, however, Zelena glanced over at the convenience store across the road from the school and saw Robin entering. Zelena stopped walking and stood next to the bin. When Robin entered the store, Zelena pulled Regina's assignment out of her homework file and dropped it in the bin, before crossing the road and following him into the convenience store.


	4. Excuses

The sliding doors of the convenience store across the road from Storybrooke High opened automatically as Zelena stepped inside. Robin was over near the refrigerated drinks, while a grumpy-looking man stood behind the counter. Zelena walked over to one of the shelves and browsed through one of the shelves, pretending to be interested in the various brands of chocolate bars. It didn't take long for Robin to notice her.  
"Hey," he said. She turned to face him, feigning surprise.  
"Oh hey," Zelena smiled, "You're the new kid, right?"  
"Yeah, I'm Robin," he replied with a smile, "I saw you sitting with Regina at school."  
"That's right," said Zelena, "She's my best friend, like a sister to me. Speaking of Regina, shouldn't you be on your way to the diner?"  
"Yes, actually I should probably go now," Robin answered, "Wouldn't want to be late on the first date."  
Zelena nodded,  
"It was nice meeting you."  
"You too," said Robin. As he walked towards the exit, Zelena approached the counter with the grumpy-looking man.  
"Good afternoon, Leroy."  
"Is it?" he remarked, scanning the bag of chips she had put onto the counter. As Robin left the store, however, the item detectors on either side of the sliding doors began beeping so loudly that it made Zelena jump. Robin stood outside the store confused as the loud noise blared throughout the building. Leroy practically leaped over the counter and ran outside the store, grabbing Robin by the arm.  
"Did you steal something?!" growled Leroy.  
"No! Get off me!" Robin shouted, eyes wide in panic as Leroy snatched his schoolbag and reached inside to pull out a chocolate bar.  
"THIEF!" Leroy snarled, withdrawing his phone.  
"I didn't steal it!" protested Robin, "I'd never–"  
"Save it for the cops!" snapped Leroy. As the commotion went on, Zelena left the store with the bag of chips unpaid for, but since the alarm was already going off, nobody noticed as she sneaked past and walked away.  
 _Poor Robin_ , she thought to herself as she crossed the road, _Poor unsuspecting Robin_.  
Robin had been so busy talking to Zelena that he didn't even notice the chocolate bar she had placed in an open compartment of his schoolbag.  
As she passed Granny's Diner, Zelena chanced a glimpse through one of the windows, and saw Regina sitting there. She was dressed up for the occasion, meaning to impress the new kid. Regina was too busy on her phone to even notice Zelena walking past.

The next day, Zelena got to school bright and early. Upon arriving at their usual spot, she saw Glinda and Ursula in deep conversation.  
"Morning, my pretties," Zelena greeted them cheerfully.  
"Morning," Glinda smiled.  
"Hey," said Ursula.  
"So, what's the story?" asked Zelena, sitting between the two, "How did Regina's date go?"  
Glinda's smile disappeared, and Ursula looked at her feet. Zelena looked at both of them and frowned.  
"That bad, huh?"  
"He didn't even show up," explained Glinda, "Apparently, he got caught stealing from that store across the road."  
"Stealing?" Zelena raised an eyebrow, "Poor Regina. Is she coming today?"  
"I hope so," said Ursula, "She was pretty upset last night."  
Regina eventually showed up, and Zelena made sure she was the first to comfort her.  
"I'm alright, really," Regina muttered, "I shouldn't have gotten so carried away about him in the first place. Mom was right, I... I should really just focus on my studies."  
"Don't say that," Glinda said, "Studying isn't everything."  
 _Spoken like a true Gold class student._ Zelena scowled behind Glinda's back.

When the siren went, Zelena got up to attend whichever Silver class she had first today. As she started walking, however, Regina's voice stopped her.  
"Hey, Zelena!"  
She took a deep breath before turning to face Regina.  
"Yes?" she said with a smile.  
"I've got Miss Blanchard first period today," Regina explained, "Did you finish my assignment?"  
Zelena unzipped her schoolbag and pulled out Regina's homework file, opening it. She had been practicing the look of shock she gave Regina then and there.  
"Oh shit," muttered Zelena, "I'm so sorry, Regina. I finished it, but I must have left it at home."  
Regina's shocked expression was quite genuine.  
"You... you _left it at home_?" she said hoarsely.  
"I'm so sorry," Zelena shook her head slowly. For a moment, Regina looked as if she was going to scream at her.  
 _Go on, bitch. Let's see your true colors come out._ ** _  
_**But Regina was clearly above such things, because instead she calmly nodded.  
"It's okay," she said, "I'll come up with an excuse. I'm sure Miss Blanchard will understand."  
"Let's hope so," replied Zelena, giving Regina a concerned look that she hoped would make Regina feel worse. As she turned and walked away, Zelena savored the feeling of satisfaction at the mere thought of Regina nervously making an excuse to Miss Blanchard. There were no excuses in the Gold classes, there was only success and failure. _Regina will soon learn that._


	5. Leverage

She didn't know his name.

Zelena walked down the path of cracked concrete, her schoolbag swinging loosely from a shoulder. This part of town was new to her, and it was an area that she had been warned about more than once, but this is where she would find the answers she was looking for. _Hopefully._ Eventually, Zelena came upon an alleyway, and gave a sigh as she checked the GPS on her phone. Unfortunately, she was in the right place. Zelena craned her neck to see if there was anyone lurking within, before slowly entering the alleyway. Behind her, a mother and child passed. If something bad happened, Zelena wanted to make sure there were people nearby who could help her.  
 _Nothing bad will happen_ , she told herself. This was something she had to do, otherwise things at Storybrooke High would remain as they were. At the end of the alleyway was a high brick wall, and just near the wall on the right side of the alleyway was an old door. Actually, it looked less like a door and more like a stray sheet of metal that someone picked up and attached to a hole in the wall. Zelena approached the makeshift door and knocked on it trepidaciously.

Zelena had waited for at least five minutes before it swung open so suddenly that she nearly ran for her life, but she forced herself to stay where she was and looked him in the eyes. To her surprise, he was almost as young as she was. He was pale like her as well, but she assumed that was because he never went outside. Her eyes moved up to the shock of bright blue hair. _This is the guy?_  
"Can I help you?" he asked. Zelena wondered when was the last time he had used his voice. It seemed a frail and neglected thing.  
"I'm Zelena," she introduced herself, "I was told you were very, very good at what you do."  
He stared at her for a moment, and for a split second, she thought she detected amusement.  
"I'm Hades."  
"What's your real name?" asked Zelena.  
"You expect me to share my name? In _my_ line of work?"  
The weak rasp of his voice was fading fast, and now he sounded like any other boy at her school.  
"Fair enough," she allowed, "I, uhh, I've got money."  
"Good for you."  
Zelena withdrew a small bundle of cash tied up with an elastic band.  
"I was told this would be about enough to afford your services," Zelena muttered.  
Hades quickly took it and pocketed it away without even examining how much was in there.  
"Seems about right," he turned and walked back inside. Zelena followed him, and looked around. Judging by the tiles, she guessed that this was once a public restroom. But the stalls and toilets were gone, replaced by bright screens, and the door was bolted shut. Hades returned to his chair and turned to face her.  
"What did you have in mind?"  
"My school betrayed me," explained Zelena, "I was promised a seat in the top classes, but I was discarded in favor of the principal's daughter."  
"And you want... revenge?"  
"I want what was promised," Zelena said, "and to do that, I need you to dig up something on the principal, or the vice principal. Or both."  
"The principal..." Hades typed something on his keyboard, "...Mrs. Cora Mills?"  
"That's the one. The vice principal is Mr. Walsh."  
Hades continued typing, but the monitor screens were so bright in this pitch black room that she couldn't bear to look at what he was doing. Still typing, Hades spoke up,  
"You can go now. I'll get back to you when I find something."  
"Do you need my phone number?"  
"I'll find your number when I find something," Hades said blankly, still typing away. Zelena frowned, but turned and left the abandoned bathroom, closing the sheet of steel behind her.

It wasn't until later in the morning when she arrived at school that her phone started buzzing. Zelena gave her friends a smile, before stepping away and answering the phone.  
"Hello?"  
"It's me," came Hades' voice.  
"Did you find anything?" Zelena asked, aware that her friends were probably listening behind her.  
"I found nothing on Mills," Hades said, "Either she's squeaky clean or good at covering her tracks."  
"Probably the second one," said Zelena, glancing back at Regina.  
"However, I did find dirt on Walsh."  
"Yeah?" Zelena cracked a small smile. Her phone buzzed a few times, and Zelena took the phone away from her ear to see what he had sent her. Zelena scrolled through what appeared to be screenshots of Mr. Walsh flirting with at least three girls Zelena knew. Her eyes widened as she read the messages.  
"Thank you," she said quietly, "This is exactly what I needed."  
"You're welcome," Hades replied, and then hung up.  
Zelena walked back to her group of friends.  
"Who was that?" asked Regina.  
"My dad," said Zelena, "He was talking to Mr. Walsh earlier about their mistake."  
"Mistake?" Cecilia's eyes narrowed.  
"Y'know, how I was supposed to be in Gold classes but they put me in Silver."  
"Oh," replied Cecilia, "Right."  
"I'm scheduled to meet with Mr. Walsh today and sort it all out," Zelena went on, "I'll finally be in Gold classes with you guys."  
"That's good to hear," Glinda nodded.  
"Let's hope so," Regina gave Zelena an encouraging smile.  
 _You better hope not,_ Zelena wanted to say, _If I get in, you'll be out._  
It was a good feeling, she realized, having power over someone who originally had power over you.

After recess, instead of going to her designated Silver class, Zelena strode into the front office.  
"Miss Green," the receptionist looked at her with tired eyes.  
"I'm here to see Mr. Walsh."  
"Do you have–"  
"No," Zelena interrupted, "but I _am_ here to see him."  
"You know, the vice principal has been very busy–"  
"Please let him know that I'm here," Zelena flashed a smile, before going and sitting at one of the chairs. The receptionist looked at her, then sighed and picked up the phone to call Mr. Walsh. Zelena waited patiently, while scrolling through the screenshots Hades had sent her. Eventually, Mr. Walsh walked into the front office, and almost looked annoyed when he saw Zelena waiting.  
"Zelena," he nodded, and walked into his office. Zelena followed him inside, and turned to shut the door.  
"Leave the door open," Mr. Walsh said, "This won't take long."  
"No, but I should close the door anyway," replied Zelena, "because you don't want anyone to hear what I have to say."


	6. Change of Plans

She held up her phone so he could read the vile messages.  
"Let me see that," Mr. Walsh reached out to grab Zelena's phone, but she held it back from him.  
"Don't touch my phone," she replied coldly, "You can read the texts from here. I know you can."  
Zelena had never seen such a hateful look on Mr. Walsh's face, but it only lasted a few moments before it was replaced by a smug grin.  
"You call this evidence?" he scoffed, "The messages are clearly faked!"  
"Really? Well, I wonder what would happen if I approached the girls you've harassed."  
"Those girls are lucky to get into their classes at all," said Mr. Walsh, "They'd never jeopardize that."  
Zelena shook her head slowly,  
"You're disgusting. Although, I am a little offended you didn't offer me the same proposition. You know how badly I want to get into the Gold classes."  
"A strong-willed girl like yourself?" Mr. Walsh frowned, "I don't think so."  
"So you prefer them weak and at your mercy, then?" murmured Zelena, "Well, how does it feel to be the defenseless one? Even if those girls don't tell the truth straight away, my accusations will be more than enough fuel to interest the federal department of education. It'll be a shit-storm. This entire school would come under an enquiry. I wouldn't even be surprised if the police are called in to investigate further."  
Mr. Walsh studied her. If he was worried, then he didn't show it at all. There was silence as Zelena tucked her phone back into her pocket, before Mr. Walsh spoke up.  
"You'd be willing to stain the reputation of this whole school, just to get into the top classes?"  
"My career - my _future_ \- depends on my education," Zelena answered.  
"I see," Mr. Walsh pressed his fingers together and leaned back in his comfortable chair.  
"Why don't we help each other?" suggested Zelena, leaning forward, "You need to uphold your reputation. I need to get into Gold classes. Enlist me in the Gold classes, and these screenshots go away, and we can pretend that this unfortunate situation ever happened."  
"You act as if putting you in Gold is so simple," said Mr. Walsh, rolling his eyes, "However, I've received word that a couple of Gold students are currently failing their classes. If they continue to fail miserably, then we'll have no choice but to drop them down to Silver classes."  
Zelena nodded slowly, a smile creeping onto her features.  
"And... who, if I may ask, are these failures?"  
"I'm not at liberty to reveal–"  
"Let's focus more on what I can reveal," Zelena said sternly. If she had dared to take this tone with him at the beginning of the year, Mr. Walsh would have thrown her out like garbage.  
 _Power,_ thought Zelena gleefully, _He's treating me like an equal because I have power over him._  
Mr. Walsh nodded in understanding,  
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"  
"Not as much as I'm going to enjoy being in Gold classes."  
He hesitated for a brief moment, struggling to swallow his pride, before the names came to his lips.  
"Will Scarlet and Cecilia Braeburn," he muttered. Zelena's eyes lit up. Cecilia was one of the girls that she hung out with, but Zelena would never call her a friend since they didn't truly know one another outside of recess and lunch. Perhaps there is no need to kick Regina out, Zelena thought. She suddenly felt bad for throwing Regina's assignment in the trash and ruining her date with Robin. However, she would feel no guilt in regards to getting Cecilia out of the Gold classes. That way, Zelena and Regina could both be in the same classes.  
"Cecilia..." Zelena murmured aloud, and Mr. Walsh smirked.  
"I can already see that ruthless glint in your eye. You kinda remind me of the principal."  
"Don't let her hear you say that," replied Zelena, getting up to leave.  
"How can I trust that you'll hold up your end of the bargain?" he called after her.  
Zelena turned around and looked him in the eyes,  
"When I'm enlisted in Gold, I'll hold up my end."

Zelena stepped out of the office with a smile on her face. All she had to do was sabotage Cecilia, and she would get everything she ever wanted. There was no need to ruin Regina's life anymore. The plan had fallen into place, and now there was only one more step to go. As she walked down the dimly-lit corridor towards class, Zelena pulled out her phone and opened the messages that the hacker known as 'Hades' had sent her. She doubted that the number he used to send her these messages was his own personal number, but nevertheless, she texted the number.  
 _It worked. Thank you.  
_ As she sent the message, Zelena heard a voice from behind her.  
"You."  
Zelena turned to see Robin standing there, casting her a filthy look.  
"Robin, is it?" she smiled politely, "Can I help you?"  
"I know it was you," Robin's voice was quiet, but she felt the anger in his words, "You put the chocolate bar in my bag so I'd get in trouble. You didn't want me to meet with Regina at the diner. Now she won't even speak to me."  
"Well," Zelena shrugged, "That sounds like a personal problem."  
She turned to walk away from him, but he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back.  
"If you ever get me in trouble with the cops again," he said, "I'll take you down with me."  
Zelena glared up at him with narrow eyes.  
"Here's an idea," she snarled back at him, "Stay out of my life. And Regina's, for that matter. She deserves better than you."


	7. The Truth

The four friends stared at her, aghast.  
"You're _what?_ " they uttered in shock.  
"I'm not going," Zelena said stubbornly.  
"But it's the sophomore school ball!" cried Regina.  
"I know what it is," replied Zelena, "but I'm still not going."  
Cecilia rolled her eyes, while Ursula crossed her arms. Glinda frowned at Zelena.  
"If we're going, you're going," Regina chided her, "It doesn't matter if you don't have a date! You can still hang out and dance with us."  
"What, and play..." Zelena did the math, "...ninth wheel?"  
"If you're worried about that, we can find you a date," suggested Glinda, "My boyfriend has heaps of friends who need a date."  
Zelena hesitated for a moment - for just a moment - before shaking her head,  
"I should really be focusing on my studies if I'm going to get into Gold classes."  
"Oh, come on," Glinda smiled, "You've got to relax some of the time."  
 _That's easy for you to say. You're already in Gold, you perfect little bitch.  
_ Zelena silently scolded herself for that. Glinda had been nothing but kind and supportive to her during the travails of this year. Cecilia and Ursula, on the other hand, had only shrugged and muttered whenever the topic of the injustice brought upon Zelena came up. Zelena would feel no sympathy for Cecilia once she had taken her down. She had considered going back to the hacker who called himself 'Hades' and asking for his help in digging up dirt on Cecilia, but that cost money that Zelena didn't have. She had spent a huge portion of her savings on the information about Walsh. _I sit with her every day for goodness sake, surely if I listen to her drivel long enough, I'll find some dirt._  
"So, Cecilia, who's your date to the school ball?" Zelena spoke up suddenly. It took Cecilia a few seconds to answer.  
"Oh, uhh..." her eyes grew large, "...I don't know yet. So many people have asked me, it's taking me a while to decide."  
"I see," Zelena smiled broadly. The tension that had come with the question told Zelena that she was on the right track.

As their lunch break came to an end, Zelena caught with up Glinda and Regina as they began walking down the corridor to their class.  
"Hey," said Zelena, "Did I say something wrong?"  
"How do you mean?" asked Regina.  
"When I asked Cecilia about the ball, it felt slightly awkward," Zelena murmured, "It was like you all wanted to be somewhere else."  
Regina sighed and exchanged a knowing look with Glinda.  
"I'll tell you after school," Regina promised. Zelena nodded, and set off towards her own class.

She had Mathematics class now, but it was _Silver class_ mathematics, which took all the challenge from it. _I need to ruin Cecilia, and fast._ Zelena had no friends in the Silver classes, and instead sat by herself at the front of the classroom with her schoolbag on the chair beside her so that nobody would sit down next to her. Zelena hadn't even tried to learn any of her classmates' names, but she knew a few of the other Silver students. There was Ruby, who Zelena recognized from the local diner. Ruby worked there part-time as a waitress, thanks to her grandmother owning the establishment. _Nepotism, nepotism everywhere._ Zelena loathed her father for not being a powerful pillar of this community. Her dad's only skill was finishing entire bottles of whisky in minutes. Then, of course, there was Robin Locksley. Sometimes Zelena could feel him glaring at her from across the classroom, but she liked to think she did a good job at ignoring him. She also knew Arthur, who often made the class laugh. Behind Zelena sat a group of girls who neglected their schoolwork in favor of painting their nails and talking about boys, the most prominent of them being Ava Zimmer.  
"...and James is, like, hiring a limo to take us to the ball," Ava bragged to her friends, receiving the chorus of 'wow's and 'oh my god's she was looking for. Zelena rolled her eyes and finished the last question on her test, before leaving her seat to hand in her test to the teacher.  
"First one finished as usual, Miss Green," Mrs. Tremaine looked up from her computer, "I just don't understand why they didn't put you in Gold classes. Are you doing well in your other subjects?"  
 _I didn't get in because you and Mrs. Mills let Regina retake her exam,_ Zelena thought bitterly.  
"I guess not well enough," Zelena gave a polite smile and returned to her desk.  
"Hey, Zelena!"  
She closed her eyes in exasperation, but turned around to face Ava. She couldn't tell if Ava was baring her teeth into a grin or a snarl. Either way, Zelena was unnerved.  
"Yes?" she asked simply.  
"Have you got a date for the ball?"  
"No," Zelena answered, "I'm not going."  
"You're not going?" Ava's eyes bulged, "What, haven't you got a date?"  
One of the girls muttered something about 'frigid', causing a few other girls to snort. Zelena raised an eyebrow.  
"Why would I have a date if I'm not going?"  
She had gotten the same reaction from everyone she spoke to. It was inconceivable, incomprehensible, that anyone would choose not to attend the Grade 10 school ball, let alone not bring a date. It was as though everyone at school considered the attending of a school ball to be as inevitable and fixed as the laws of physics.

Relief came as the siren signaled the end of the school day. As Zelena and Regina walked together towards the school gates, Regina made good on her promise.  
"About Cecilia..." Regina said, before telling Zelena the truth about Cecilia.  
 _Oh god,_ Zelena thought, _This changes everything._


	8. The Favor

The dimly-lit school corridor was completely empty, aside from Zelena. As she stood and waited, looking down at her phone, Zelena had time to think carefully about the next step, and just what it would entail. She had information that could potentially ruin Cecilia's future at this school, provided the rumors Zelena heard were true. She had been used to relying on people's services in the past, but never anyone she went to school with. Zelena knew the risk that came with showing her true colors to a fellow student, but the stakes were too high to go back now. She had set the meeting, and intended to follow this through to its conclusion. _Whatever that may be.  
_ The footsteps echoing from down the corridor made Zelena look up.  
"We should really be in class."  
"Then I'll make this quick," Zelena replied, tucking her phone away and stepping towards Arthur, "You have my sympathy, by the way."  
"I don't want it," snapped Arthur. It was known by all that Arthur had asked some girl named Gwen to the school ball and been rejected in front of the class. Supposedly, she was already set to go with the quarterback of the school football team, Lance. Zelena had no time for the second-rate high school politics of ditzes and douchebags, however. Things were about to take a sharp turn for her.  
"I have a favor to ask," said Zelena, "and I want you to do it."  
Arthur's eyes narrowed,  
"And what's that?"  
"After school, find somewhere behind the gym where nobody will see you," Zelena explained, "and when you see something interesting, take out your phone and record the whole thing."  
"Record what?" Arthur frowned.  
"You'll see," Zelena smiled, "or maybe you won't, if you choose not to do as I say."  
Now that she had peaked Arthur's natural curiosity, it was time for the cherry on top.  
"What do I get out of this, exactly?" asked Arthur, folding his arms. Zelena hesitated, but swallowed her pride and continued,  
"I'll go to the school ball with you."  
Arthur's eyes widened,  
"Like... as in, my date?"  
Zelena nodded, "I'll be your date."  
Arthur pretended to consider this. The smile creeping onto his face gave the answer away.  
"Deal."

Class proved to be a bore, and Zelena spent most of the hour eavesdropping on her classmates. Ava was complaining to her friends that she suspected her boyfriend James was texting another girl without her "permission". Ava's friend Tamara suggested that this mystery girl could be Mrs. Tremaine's daughter, Anastasia, who attended Gold classes. The very thought made Ava angry, and she expressed exactly how violent she would get towards anyone who came between herself and her "man". Zelena tried her best not to chuckle, and simply continued writing her essay. It was about the madness that comes from chemicals in the brain - a madness often misconstrued as love. Just as Zelena had begun her third page of writing, the PA speaker on the wall above the whiteboard suddenly crackled with life.  
"Good afternoon," a girl's voice echoed throughout Storybrooke High, "Just a reminder to all student council members that we have a meeting at lunch. That includes the current candidate for student councilor. Thank you."  
Zelena raised an eyebrow. _So the school council finally picked somebody to fill the vacant spot._ She could have cursed at that, but managed to hold her tongue. Zelena had hoped that she would have entered Gold classes before the vacancy had been filled. Only students in the Gold classes could be nominated for a position at the student council, and she had desperately wanted to join. After the principal and vice principal, the student councilors had absolute power over the school.

A sudden thought came to her. _What if...?_ Zelena quickly shook her head. She could not afford to speculate, and had to focus on one thing at a time. The thought left her almost as rapidly as it came, but the discomfort remained. At any rate, the new school councilor would be announced sooner or later.

When the siren went off, Zelena picked up her schoolbag and left the classroom to join her friends for lunch. But as she walked towards their usual bench, she noticed that Regina wasn't there. Just like that, her suspicions were confirmed.  
"Where's Regina?" Zelena asked as she got there, feigning ignorance.  
"Oh, didn't you hear?" said Cecilia, "She was nominated to become student council member."  
Zelena wanted to scream. _Of course she was picked._ Everything was falling right into place for the Mills family. With her mother as the principal and Regina as student councilor, there would be no blind spot. Every aspect of this school, whether it was educational or recreational, whether it involved the staff or the students, all of it would fall under their domain. Storybrooke High had effectively become an empire, and Regina was at the center of it while Zelena was left out in the cold. Suddenly, it became a challenge to even stand up. Zelena slumped onto the bench, letting her schoolbag drop to the ground.  
"Are you... alright?" asked Glinda.  
"I'm fine," muttered Zelena.  
"You don't look–"  
"I said I'm _fine_!"  
The three of them - Glinda, Ursula, and Cecilia - all stared at her. They were looking at her like she was crazy. They had no idea what sort of a totalitarian farce this school really was. _Or maybe they did, but they didn't care because they were all in on it._ Zelena forced herself to smile, but then unexpectedly she laughed. She laughed hard. _What a joke. What a fucking joke._

Zelena stormed out of the gates after school. She had places to be.

The tin makeshift door screeched open, and Zelena stepped into darkness. At his desk, Hades looked over at Zelena, who smiled wickedly.  
"I need your help."


	9. Confrontations

The assembly hall was packed as students scrambled to find seats. There were limited rows of chairs, and those who arrived late or couldn't find a seat were forced to sit on the floor by the walls. Sometimes Zelena wondered if it was a deliberate attempt to sort the determined from the weak-willed. She wouldn't put it past Principal Cora Mills to do such a thing. Zelena managed to find a seat between Cecilia and a boy she didn't know, and looked ahead at the raised platform primarily reserved for important staff members, who sat in a row across one half of the stage. On the other half, however, sat the student council, and with them sat Regina. She was quietly discussing something with another student councilor, who Zelena recognized as the student council president, Eloise Gardener. Zelena was almost certain that Eloise's position was secured by her mother, Mrs. Gardener, who taught extracurricular horticulture classes to esteemed members of the Gold science class. From what Zelena heard, it was essentially gardening lessons that allowed the student councilors to gossip for an hour.  
When Mrs. Mills entered the assembly hall, everyone grew quiet almost immediately.  
"Good morning," she greeted, "First of all, I would like to congratulate the newest member of the student council."  
Regina stood up, as if on cue, and walked over to stand beside her mother. Everyone began clapping, except Zelena, who only stared at Regina coldly. But Regina didn't even notice Zelena, and was smiling at nobody in particular as she faced the crowd of students.  
"Thank you everyone," Regina spoke as the applause died down, "I promise to always represent the student's best interests and carry my school's pride with me every day."  
 _They've been practicing this_ , thought Zelena. Then a thought struck her, like a cold arrow to the chest.  
As Regina turned and walked back to her seat, Mrs. Mills began going through a list of announcements. Zelena, however, paid no attention to that and instead surveyed the student council members. There were some she didn't recognize, but the one who stood out the most to Zelena was a blonde girl named Anastasia. She was the daughter of Mrs. Tremaine, Zelena's math teacher.  
Something twisted deep within Zelena's stomach, as a string of thoughts came to her unbidden and began merging together. Suddenly, Zelena was standing up and maneurvering her way through the crowd. Mrs. Mills continued her announcements without hesitation, as if not noticing her, and only a few students glanced over at Zelena as she hurried out of the assembly hall.

Outside, fresh air came to her in deep breaths, and Zelena slumped onto a nearby bench.  
"Zelena?"  
She heard Mrs. Tremaine approach her, but didn't look up.  
"I was just... feeling a bit sick..." croaked Zelena.  
Mrs. Tremaine sat down beside her,  
"Zelena, what's happening?"  
"I told you..." Zelena started. _No. Enough games._  
Zelena slowly stood up and looked down at Mrs. Tremaine.  
"Tell me it isn't true."  
Mrs. Tremaine looked confused,  
"Pardon?"  
"Why did you give Regina a second shot at her math exam last year?" Zelena asked sharply. The blunt aggression took Mrs. Tremaine aback.  
"I, uh, well, she"  
"I've known you for three years and you've never let anyone redo their exam," snapped Zelena, "So why Regina?"  
Mrs. Tremaine shook her head, as if in confusion.  
"Where's this coming from, Zelena?"  
"She offered you a deal, didn't she?" Zelena snarled, "Mrs. Mills offered Anastasia a seat in the student council if you let Regina redo her math exam, didn't she? Didn't she?"  
There was silence, as Tremaine struggled to respond, but that was all the confirmation Zelena needed.  
"I was promised to the Gold classes," Zelena went on, "I would be where I belong _right now_ , if you weren't so corrupt! Instead, I have to watch from the sidelines as Regina gets everything that I deserve!"  
"Zelena, don't–"  
But Zelena had already turned and was walking away, furious. She pulled out her phone and sent a text message that simply said: _**Do it.**_

When the assembly finished and recess inevitably came, Zelena was already sitting at their bench. Everywhere in the Grade 10 area, she could hear shocked gasps and laughter as everyone stared and shared the video that played on all their phones. Zelena hadn't received a text, but she already knew what it was, and calmly ate her sandwich as she waited for her "friends" to arrive. When they came, Cecilia was wide-eyed and looked around frantically.  
"But... how?" her voice quivered.  
"Look, calm down," said Glinda.  
"I... I..." tears began to glisten in Cecilia's eyes. Regina looked over at Zelena, looking concerned. Zelena simply gave Regina a clueless look, before speaking up.  
"What's going on?"  
Glinda sighed,  
"Somebody recorded Cecilia and James... behind the assembly hall."  
Zelena forced herself to look shocked.  
"Oh," she said, "Oh no."  
"When Ava finds out–" Cecilia began, but something made them all turn.  
 _She already knows,_ Zelena realized, as Ava stormed over towards Cecilia, carrying something that looked like a container. There was a rage that twisted Ava's features, like a wild animal, which Zelena had never seen before.  
"You _FUCKING BITCH!_ " Ava shouted, as Cecilia turned to face her. Then, Ava flicked her wrist, and something flew out of the container, splashing into Cecilia's face. The bloodcurdling scream that Zelena heard would give her nightmares for months. Everyone - students and teachers - raced over and crowded around them, and several teachers grabbed Ava and pulled her away, while several gathered around Cecilia, who had dropped to her knees and clutched her face. Zelena watched, eyes wide, as Cecilia was escorted out of the courtyard and someone called an ambulance. All her friends had gone too, crying and following Cecilia. Zelena took a deep breath, and continued eating her sandwich.


	10. One Step Forward

After she finished her sandwich, Zelena got up and strolled towards the front office. She could hear the distant howling of an ambulance. The atmosphere of panic was evident inside the building, with everyone on the phone talking frantically. Through the windows, Zelena could see the students outside all running to the same place, to catch a glimpse at what had transpired only moments ago.  
 _The time is perfect_ , Zelena thought, as she walked past the desk and straight into Mr. Walsh's office. He was on the phone as well, and from what Zelena heard, Walsh was speaking to Cecilia's parents.  
"No... yes, an ambulance has been called... the sick bay... yes, I understand."  
Eventually, the call came to an end, and Mr. Walsh's eyes fixated on Zelena, who sat down quietly. Zelena didn't know whether to expect fear or fury from the vice principal. _A little of both, perhaps._  
"You."  
His eyes had become wide with horror, but his voice was a growl.  
"Me?" Zelena smiled and raised an eyebrow.  
"This was you!" Mr. Walsh rose from his seat, "I – how–"  
"Are you accusing me of attacking Cecilia?" asked Zelena, feigning confusion, "I think you'll find many witnesses who'd gladly say otherwise."  
Walsh walked over to the door, slammed it hard, before towering over Zelena.  
"I don't know how," he snarled, "but this was you. You may find my actions disgusting, but you... not even blackmailing me will save you. I'm gonna tell–"  
"What?" Zelena smiled, "You think anyone's going to believe I did this? Sit down, you fucking moron. You promised you'd elevate me to Gold classes when Cecilia was no longer a viable option."  
"I'm calling the cops!" Mr. Walsh picked up his phone.  
"Oh, I wouldn't bother," shrugged Zelena, checking her own phone, "They'll be here soon to take care of Ava. Although, I suspect they'll be here longer than anticipated. You see, those screenshots I used to blackmail you were sent to the police department three minutes ago."  
Mr. Walsh's eyes bulged, and his grip on the phone tightened.  
"So they'll also be paying you a visit, and I've made sure they find exactly what they're looking for," Zelena grinned, and looked over at Walsh's computer screen. Mr. Walsh turned to face it, just as the screen came alive with hundreds of explicit photos that forced even Zelena to look away.  
" _H-How?!_ " Walsh gasped.  
"I know those photos aren't yours, but hey," Zelena stood up, "sometimes the truths that cut deepest need something a little extra."  
She never listened to his begging, as she stepped out of his office and closed the door behind her.

By next morning, the news had spread around school. Ava had thrown some sort of chemical drain cleaner into Cecilia's eyes, and although Cecilia had been rushed into hospital, it was unlikely that Cecilia would ever see again. Ava was taken away by the police, who had to break down the locked door of Mr. Walsh's office. Inside, they discovered the vice principal hanging from a noose. No connection between the two events had been made, but many horrific photos of underage children were found on his computer. At an assembly, Mrs. Mills announced that the school year would be finishing three weeks early, due to these tragedies.

On her last day of Grade 10, Zelena was summoned to the front office. _I've waited for this._ When she got there, Zelena glanced at the empty office that had once been Mr. Walsh's. For once, she wasn't here to see him. Zelena was escorted into another office, where Principal Cora Mills sat in her chair.  
"Hello Zelena," the principal greeted, gesturing to a chair.  
"Good morning Mrs. Mills," Zelena sat in the chair, remaining calm.  
"Regina has told me a lot about you," said Mrs. Mills. _Has she indeed?_  
"She's one of my closest friends," smiled Zelena. The principal chuckled.  
"Don't act for me," she replied dryly, "You've been coveting her spot in the Gold classes for years. You've set her up for sabotage in both her educational and personal lives. I must admit, I'm impressed... you remind me of myself at your age. You're smart, resourceful, and cunning. Your _parents_... must be proud."  
"I only have a dad," Zelena murmured, "My mother died when I was born."  
Mrs. Mills looked down and gave a small nod, before moving on,  
"Cecilia Braeburn will no longer be attending Storybrooke High. Most of her eye tissue has corroded. It'll be over a year before she recovers from the trauma."  
"How sad," said Zelena.  
"It was an injustice, preventing you from entering Gold classes," said Mrs. Mills, "but you must understand that I'll do whatever it takes to help Regina succeed in life. Now that there is a vacant spot, I hope you will stop resenting Regina for the actions I've made."  
Zelena looked up,  
"Does this mean...?"  
"Starting next year, you'll be in the Gold classes," Mrs. Mills nodded.  
"Thank you," Zelena's smile was real, "I'll work hard, I promise."  
"I expect nothing less," replied Mrs. Mills, "Go now. Enjoy your holidays."

"Zelena," said Eloise Gardener, "is more of a threat than I anticipated..."  
The student council - aside from Regina - sat around the table of the conference room.  
"...Regina suspects she was behind the leak that led to the attack on Cecilia, and we have reason to believe that she is behind Mr. Walsh's suicide as well. She craves power, and has the means to take it. She won't be satisfied with Gold classes. Before long, she'll turn her sights towards us."  
"What do we do?" asked a blue-haired girl sitting across from Eloise.  
"We find her weakness," replied Eloise, "and use it to destroy her."


	11. Two Steps Back

_A storm is brewing._

Zelena looked upwards and contemplated the dark gray clouds above. The winter months were fast approaching, it was true, but all Zelena was really concerned about right now was her oncoming Biology exam. The past few nights had been sleepless, as she had spent every hour of spare time studying hard, and yet there were still aspects of what they were learning that Zelena found confusing. _  
Science has never been my strong suit,_ she reflected.  
A sudden gust of wind sent a chill through Zelena, prompting her to pull the school sweater out of her schoolbag and over her shirt. There was definitely the smell of rain in the air by the time she arrived at the bus stop. Zelena usually relied on the bus to get to and from Storybrooke High School, as she couldn't rely on her alcoholic of a dad, but this morning it seemed to be running late. _And my exam is happening during first period._  
When five minutes passed with no sign of a bus, Zelena drew a phone from one of her pockets and dialed a number.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey, Glinda," said Zelena, "Have you already arrived at school?"  
"Nope," Glinda replied, "Just about to leave. What's up?"  
"My bus is missing. Do you think you could pick me up on your way? If it's no trouble."  
"No trouble," said Glinda, "See you in a minute."  
"Thanks. Bye."  
Zelena hung up, and breathed a sigh of relief. Glinda had to be one of the most kindhearted people she'd ever met. Even though they both knew perfectly well that Zelena and Glinda lived on opposite sides of town, and Glinda would have to go out of her way to pick Zelena up, potentially being late for school _and_ her exam, Glinda had said that it was 'no trouble'. As of late, Zelena and Glinda had become good friends. She was almost like a sister to Zelena, even more so than Regina. Zelena knew that she had called Regina, she would have only gotten excuses.  
 _"Sorry, my mom said no,_ _"_ was quite common. Regina's life seemed to be dictated by her mother, who happened to be Mrs. Mills, the school principal. Zelena certainly didn't envy her home life. It had been her spot in the Gold classes that Zelena had craved above all else. But even though Regina and her mother had tried to take that away from her, Zelena had fought hard and now she was in Gold classes too.  
 _No,_ she thought to herself, _It's better to not think about last year._  
She had stooped last year in tenth grade, to a level that Zelena had previously never imagined. Friendships had been broken, with betrayals and secrets exposed, and all because of Zelena, who was fully aware of the path of destruction she had left behind in order to get what she wanted. Now here she was in Grade 11, and she was working hard to stay in the top classes.

The sudden appearance of the bus driving down the road towards her bus stop came as a surprise. Zelena looked around as the bus stopped in front of her, trying to find Glinda's car, but it was nowhere to be seen. Heaving a sigh, Zelena stepped aboard the bus.  
"Good morning," the bus driver gave her an apologetic smile, "Traffic's a nightmare this morning."  
"Oh," Zelena said, before finding a seat and sitting down. She quickly took out her phone and dialed Glinda's number.  
 _Beep-beeeep, beep-beeep, beep-_ "Hi, this is Glinda. I can't come to the phone right n–"  
"Shit," muttered Zelena. _She must be already in the car._  
When the bus arrived at the gates of Storybrooke High, Zelena got off without a word of thanks to the bus driver, and tried calling Glinda again. Again, there was no answer. Zelena checked the time on her phone, and her eyes grew wide in alarm. First period had started five minutes ago. Running as fast she possibly could, Zelena raced towards her classroom and practically burst through the doorway.  
"Zelena," Miss Blanchard raised her eyebrows, holding a stack of papers, "Just in time, I'm about to hand out the exam papers. Please, take a seat."  
Still panting, Zelena crossed the room and sat at the desk next to Regina's. Regina was looking at her quizzically.  
"What, did you run to school?" she asked.  
Zelena was far too puffed out to form a sarcastic reply, so she simply shook her head.  
"You know," Regina went out, "you should really get your license, Zelena."  
 _You should really mind your own goddamn business,_ Zelena wished she could say. She had done the bloody driving test, and failed miserably. Zelena was good at many things - reading, writing, studying - but when it came to driving, she was the absolute worst.  
"Okay guys," Miss Blanchard spoke after handing out the exam papers, "There should be no talking from here until the end of class."  
Zelena turned and glanced around the classroom, hoping for a glimpse of Glinda, but she hadn't arrived yet. She hoped that Glinda wasn't going to be too late because of her.

Back when she was in the Silver classes, Zelena had always been the first student to finish a test and hand it in to the teacher. Here, in Gold class, she was the third-last to hand in her exam sheet. When it was finally over, she returned to her seat and breathed a sigh of relief.  
"That was... dreadful," she said, resting her head on the desk.  
"I'm with you there," Regina muttered, trying to massage her temples.  
"All of me hurts," Zelena complained, "My body _and_ my brain."  
"You're the one who ran a marathon to class," said Regina.  
"Well it was that or be late," said Zelena.  
Regina frowned,  
"Speaking of late."  
Zelena turned in the direction that Regina was looking, and saw Glinda enter the classroom, looking incredibly stressed.  
"Glinda," Miss Blanchard spoke, concern etched onto her face, "Everyone's just finished the exam."  
Glinda looked to be on the verge of tears,  
"Can...can we speak outside for a moment?"  
"Of course," nodded Miss Blanchard, and the two left the classroom. However, Miss Blanchard left the door open, and Zelena strained to hear what was being said. She heard snippets of Glinda's frantic explanation, as well as Miss Blanchard's sympathetic response. When Miss Blanchard entered the classroom again, Glinda did not appear beside or behind her.  
"Where's Glinda?" asked Zelena.  
"She's, uhh, she's gone to the front office," Miss Blanchard explained, looking rather grim, "to see if they can sort out another time for her to take her exam."  
After the bell went, Zelena felt horrible as they all walked out of the classroom. She walked alongside Regina towards their next class.  
"I wonder why Glinda was so late today," Regina spoke, "She knew we had an exam first thing."  
Zelena bit her lower lip anxiously. As they made their way down a corridor, Zelena noticed that Regina was smiling, and turned her attention to Robin, who was walking towards them in the opposite direction. She rolled her eyes when Robin passed them and returned Regina's smile.  
"Ugh, really?" Zelena said, loud enough for Robin to hear as he walked off.  
"What?" Regina's tone was defensive, "He's a nice guy!"  
"He stood you up on your first date," Zelena reminded him.  
"Robin told me what happened," said Regina. Zelena nearly stopped in her tracks then.  
"He...he did?" uttered Zelena, a hot flush starting to creep up her neck.  
"Yes. He told me that the man at the counter made a mistake, and that he never stole anything."  
Zelena gritted her teeth,  
"And you...believed him?"  
"Come on," Regina said, "Do you think he looks like a thief?"  
Zelena couldn't help but roll her eyes again, remembering her last encounter with Robin.  
 _"If you ever get me in trouble with the cops again," he had said, "I'll take you down with me."  
_ She had warned him to stay from herself and Regina. Clearly it hadn't stuck, but Zelena was grateful that he hadn't told Regina the _real_ truth.

Eventually, their lunch break arrived. Zelena and Regina went and sat at their usual bench, waiting for Glinda. It was just the three of them now. Ursula's dad had forced her to move schools after what happened last year. It had happened right here, near their bench. A jealous Ava Zimmer had thrown some sort of toxic drain cleaner at Cecilia's face. From what Zelena had heard, Cecilia was going to remain blind for the foreseeable future. That hadn't been what Zelena had planned. She'd imagined that Ava would confront Cecilia, but the plan was meant to end in a fist-fight between the two girls which would have resulted in their suspension, and Cecilia's subsequent removal from Gold classes. Bad behavior was not an option for Gold class students.  
Zelena shook her head, trying to shake the memories from her head, as Glinda approached them. She looked miserable.  
"Did you speak to my mom?" Regina asked, when she had joined them at the bench. Glinda nodded,  
"I told her that I had to pick you up," Glinda looked at Zelena, and it wasn't her usual happy look, "but that you weren't there so, by the time I made my way to school, the traffic was really piled up. She said it wasn't a good enough excuse."  
Regina looked over to Zelena, clearly confused,  
"Wait, so why weren't you there?"  
"Yeah, I'm so sorry Glinda," replied Zelena, "My bus ended up coming after all. I'm really sorry. I did try calling you twice, but–"  
"But I was already driving to _your_ side of town," said Glinda. Something about the way Glinda said _'your side of town'_ bothered Zelena, but she decided to let it slide. After all, she did genuinely feel bad for causing Glinda's lateness.  
"So Mrs. Mills won't let you re-sit the exam?" Zelena said, trying to shift the blame as best she could, "But that's bullshit! They let Regina re-do her exam at the end of freshman year."  
This seemed to surprise Glinda,  
"Wait, really?"  
Regina gave Zelena a scolding look, before facing Glinda.  
"I-I was sick that day, so..."  
"So, you didn't even show up that day?" Glinda's eyes narrowed, "But they let _you_ re-sit your exam?"  
Regina looked down at her feet, as Zelena watched comprehension cross Glinda's face. Zelena knew this feeling all too well. It was what it felt like to be a victim of injustice, of a corrupt system.  
"Anyway," Regina cleared her throat and checked the time, standing up, "I have a student council meeting soon, so I should probably go now. I'll see you two later."  
Zelena watched as Glinda stared at Regina, who suddenly seemed in a hurry to leave the courtyard.  
"You know, don't you?" said Zelena softly, "You know why Regina was allowed to re-sit her exam."  
Glinda nodded slowly,  
"I know. It's because of _her_ , isn't it? Because of the principal."  
"That's right. She's the principal's daughter, and we're not."


	12. The Student Council

When Regina entered the conference room, the other student councilors were already waiting. They sat around a long table, with three chairs on each side, as well as a chair on either end of the table.  
"Sorry I'm late," she said, taking the seat closest to her. On the opposite end sat Eloise Gardener, whose arms rested on the table with her fingers intertwined.  
"That's alright," replied Eloise with a faint smile, "We were just discussing the upcoming prom for this semester."  
"Prom?" Regina said, confused.  
"As you know, last year's school ball was cancelled upon short notice," Eloise explained, "due to the... unfortunate incident that took place. We felt that it would be insensitive to throw a party in the wake of tragedy, and your mom agreed with us."  
"I see..." murmured Regina, "I don't remember that student council meeting."  
"You were away sick, I believe," said Eloise, "Anyway, we've decided that the prom has been postponed enough, and that it will take place about three weeks from now."  
Regina nodded,  
"That seems fair. So it will take place just after exams."  
"It will," Eloise said with a nod, "When we've received confirmation from your mom, we can start planning."  
Regina shifted in her seat uncomfortably,  
"Okay."  
Eloise turned her head to one side of the table, where three of the student councilors sat, silent.  
"Seraphina, you can be in charge of finding a suitable location for the prom to take place. Leota, I'll put you in charge of publicizing the event - posters, announcements, you know the drill."  
"Sounds good," replied a blue-haired girl, nodding.  
"Wendy," Eloise's eyes moved to another girl, with wide brown eyes and dark blonde hair, "You're in charge of food, drinks and catering."  
Regina watched as Eloise now faced the opposite side of the table,  
"Mary and Anastasia, you're in charge of funding the event, and Andrea... you're the date interviewer."  
A black-haired girl with tired dark eyes leaned forward in her seat.  
"Date interviewer?" she asked, plainly puzzled.  
"Mm-hm. There'll be students whose dates won't be students at this school," said Eloise, "Your job will be to interview these strangers and make sure they are suitable enough to attend our school prom."  
"Oh," replied Andrea, "Okay."  
Regina frowned,  
"Eloise?"  
"Yes, Regina?"  
Eloise, along with the other student councilors, stared at her. Regina felt herself starting to blush, with all the eyes looking in her direction.  
"...What about me?" she asked, finally. Eloise smiled.  
"You're with me. We'll be the overall managers of the event."  
Regina nodded, doing her best to ignore the jealous looks that the others were now casting her.  
"Now that we all have our jobs," Eloise continued, "I think this meeting can be adjourned."  
Everyone rose from their seats and made their way out of the conference room, talking among themselves, but Regina lingered behind with Eloise. When she was confident that the others were out of earshot, Regina approached Eloise, who was putting folders into her schoolbag. Regina cleared her throat,  
"Um, Eloise?"  
Eloise zipped up her bag and glanced at her. When she didn't say anything, Regina went on,  
"I was just wondering if... you know, you could say _the principal_ or _Mrs. Mills_ when talking about my mom. I'm not really comfortable when you refer to her as _my mom_ during meetings."  
"Really?" said Eloise, raising an eyebrow, "But she _is_ your mom, isn't she?"  
Regina's mouth twitched involuntarily as she began to feel pangs of annoyance.  
"...She is," Regina replied, "but during meetings, I just thought it'd be more appropriate to use formal titles."  
Eloise seemed to mull over this for a few moments before speaking."  
"I see," she said, "Very well. Do you think you could ask Mrs. Mills if we can hold the prom three weeks from now on behalf of the student council?"  
"Yeah, sure," answered Regina, nodding.  
"Good," Eloise murmured, and then she was walking away from Regina at a brisk pace.

As she made her way across the school, Regina pondered the question of who she was going to go to prom with. Her first thought was Robin, but she wasn't sure that he would want to go to such an event. Regina imagined the kind of sarcastic response she'd get if she did ask him.  
Before she knew it, Regina had arrived at her next class. She was glad to see her classmates still waiting outside the classroom, as that meant she wasn't running late. When she found Zelena and Glinda sitting on a nearby bench together, Regina felt a twinge of unease as she approached the pair.  
Zelena looked up in time to see Regina coming and muttered something to Glinda, who abruptly stopped talking and glanced in Regina's direction.  
"Hi guys," said Regina, sitting next to Zelena.  
"Hey," Glinda responded.  
"How was your meeting?" Zelena asked.  
"Pretty average. We were just organizing the school prom."  
Zelena frowned,  
"School... prom? I thought that was cancelled last year."  
"Postponed," Regina said, "It's happening in three weeks. Provided my mom grants us permission."  
Zelena felt like screaming. When she had heard that the ball wasn't happening, she had been overjoyed at not having to go anywhere with Arthur. Zelena had promised to go with him to the prom, but he was a student in the Silver classes and now Zelena was in Gold.  
 _Hopefully, he's forgotten_ , Zelena thought to herself, but she knew that was doubtful.  
"Three weeks from now? Crap!" Glinda suddenly snapped, "Who am I going to go with?!"  
Glinda and her boyfriend, Greg, had broken up two months ago. Zelena vaguely remembered this, only because Glinda had been prone to bursting into tears during class for about a week.  
"Don't worry, Glinda," Zelena smiled at her, "We'll find you someone. Right, Regina?"  
"Hm? Oh, yeah," said Regina, somewhat uncertainly.  
"Thanks," said Glinda, "but I can find my own date."  
Zelena turned to face Regina,  
"Let me guess. You're planning to go with the thief?"  
"I told you, he isn't a thief," Regina replied in a scolding tone that reminded Zelena of the principal.  
"Hm, well, I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree," Zelena rolled her eyes, "Do you think he would even go?"  
"Zelena!" Glinda said suddenly, "That's not nice."  
"I mean in general," said Zelena, "Any sane man would go with Regina, but I don't think Robin would go to a school ball with _anyone_ , even if his life depended on it."  
She could see the doubt blossoming on Regina's face, and struggled to keep from smiling. When Mr. Hyde finally decided to show up and let everyone into the classroom, Glinda spoke up.  
"There's only one way to find out," she said, "After class, go and ask him."

Class went by faster than Zelena had expected, and soon she was leaving the classroom alongside Regina and Glinda, who seemed to be frantically searching the crowd of students for Robin. When Zelena saw him walking towards them from one end of the courtyard, she turned to her friends.  
"Let's try looking over there," she said, pointing in the opposite direction, away from Robin.  
Zelena's efforts, however, proved to be fruitless as Glinda noticed Robin and directed Regina's attention towards him.  
"Robin!" Glinda called out. He heard her, looking over at them, and made his way towards them. Zelena made sure that when she caught his eye, she would be glaring at him, but Robin seem unperturbed and smiled at Regina.  
"Hey," he greeted.  
"Hey," Regina echoed.  
For a moment, neither of them spoke, until Glinda nudged Regina.  
"Um, I was wondering... if you'd, you know, if you want to go to the upcoming prom with me."  
Robin seemed to contemplate this and looked down at his shoes for a moment. When he looked up from the ground, his eyes met Zelena's once more, and she fixed him with an icy stare.  
 _"Stay out of my life. And Regina's, for that matter. She deserves better than you."  
_ Robin's own sea green eyes matched her glare for a moment, before moving onto Regina's dark brown.  
"Yes," he decided, "I'd love to go with you."  
Regina and Robin exchanged phone numbers, before parting ways. As they walked down a dimly-lit school corridor, Zelena found herself having to quicken her pace to keep up with Regina and Glinda, who were chatting excitedly.  
Zelena found herself in a dark mood for the rest of the afternoon, while her two friends continued to discuss the school prom during class.  
"Okay, so I'm going with Robin," Regina said to Glinda for the seventh time that day, before saying, "Now we just need to find dates for you and Zelena."  
Zelena looked up from her notebook and set her pen down.  
"Who says I'm going?" she spoke.  
"Oh god, not this again," Glinda replied, "You're coming, Zelena. It'll be fun!"  
Zelena's idea of fun did not consist of being crammed in a room full of colored flashing lights and loud music with her fellow classmates.  
 _Maybe I could invite Hades_ , Zelena thought to herself, amused by the prospect. She hadn't spoken to the reclusive hacker who called himself 'Hades' in months, but Zelena had no doubt that he would eventually contact her. _After all, I do owe him a favor._  
Last year, when Zelena had used Hades' services to dig up some dirt on the former vice principal, it had cost her a lot of money. Then, at the end of the year, Zelena had contacted Hades again. Although she didn't have enough money to pay him again, Hades had agreed to hack into Mr. Walsh's computer and infect it with all sorts of illegal material, but on one condition.  
 _"You'll owe me,"_ Hades had said, _"One day, you will owe me a favor. Any favor I want."  
_ _"Deal,"_ Zelena had responded, before shaking his hand and sealing the deal. But since then, she had heard nothing from him. She wondered if he still remembered that there was a debt to be paid between them.

The end of the day came as a relief to Zelena as the bell went. Though as she made her way towards the school gates, walking alongside Regina and Glinda, Zelena saw Eloise Gardener standing outside the gates, as if waiting for someone. Sure enough, when the three of them left the school grounds, Eloise's voice called,  
"Regina!"  
Regina stopped and turned to see Eloise approaching them.  
 _I wonder what she wants,_ Zelena wondered, S _tudent council business, no doubt.  
_ "Oh, hi Eloise," said Regina.  
"I have some free time this afternoon," said Eloise, "Do you want to hang out?"  
"Yeah, sure," Regina nodded, before turning towards Zelena and Glinda, "See you two later."  
"Alright, see you!" Glinda smiled and waved.  
"Bye," muttered Zelena.  
As Regina and Eloise walked away from the school, Eloise asked,  
"So, did you get the chance to ask... _Mrs. Mills_ about the prom?"  
"Not yet," replied Regina tentatively "but I will, definitely. Soon."  
"Perhaps over dinner," Eloise suggested, "Do you and Mrs. Mills eat dinner together? Or is she too busy for all that family stuff?"  
"Sometimes we do," Regina answered, "Tonight is lasagna night, so I'll ask her then."  
"Excellent," said Eloise, grinning, "I can't wait to start organizing this prom. I'm guessing you've told your friends."  
"Yes. They're excited."  
"Really? Even Zelena?"  
Regina hesitated,  
"Well, no. I don't think she'll be going to the prom."  
For a split second, Regina thought she detected some sort of fear or concern cross Eloise's face, but it passed so quickly that Regina couldn't be sure if she had perceived it correctly.  
"That's a shame," said Eloise finally, "Why not?"  
"I don't know," Regina shrugged, "Personally, I think it's because she has nobody to go with."  
"Oh, really?" Eloise nodded, "Well, I mean, we can fix that."  
"How do you mean?"  
"I know a guy. He doesn't go to our school, but - and I'm only guessing here - I think he and Zelena would get on like a house on fire."  
"You think so?" said Regina with a wry chuckle, "Zelena generally doesn't get along well with boys. In fact, I don't think she's ever had a boyfriend."  
"I think she'll like this guy," smiled Eloise, "They have a lot in common. They both study hard, they have a dry sense of humor and... well, he's very determined when it comes to getting what he wants. Just like Zelena."  
"What makes you think that about Zelena?" Regina asked, frowning slightly, "I didn't think you knew her that well."  
"I'm pretty perceptive," Eloise said, "I mean, just look at how she managed to get herself into Gold classes by replacing poor Cecilia."  
Regina looked away, uncomfortable,  
"I told you, I'm not certain about that. I just thought - I mean, it's a bit suspicious."  
"It certainly is," laughed Eloise, "I think we've all been underestimating Zelena for a long time. But I think having a guy to go to prom with is... _exactly_ what she needs."  
"So, what's his name? This guy?" Regina asked.  
"I'll introduce you to him," Eloise promised, "His name is Nick."


	13. You Failed

Zelena was puzzled by the invitation.

Frowning slightly, she re-examined the message that had popped up on her phone

 **8:15pm, Eloise Gardener - Dear Zelena, You're invited to my 17th birthday party this weekend! RSVP to confirm your attendance and receive further details.**

Anything unexpected made Zelena wary, and this was among the possibilities that Zelena hadn't anticipated. The last time somebody had invited her to a birthday party, she'd been eleven years old. Zelena only vaguely knew Eloise Gardener as the president of the student council, which was a position Zelena had been coveting ever since she joined Gold class. Eloise was pretty, popular, and wielded power beyond that of any other student. The student council president was granted with privileges and authority, and was able to organize school events, get students in detention, and even force teachers to adapt to student council-made petitions, provided that the petitions were approved by Mrs. Mills.  
 _Why does she want me at her party?_ Zelena wondered, biting her lower lip as she contemplated the text that Eloise Gardener had sent. It was highly possible that Eloise had invited the whole school, including Zelena, and simply wanted people like her there to fill the room which would allow Eloise to brag about how many people attended. _Then again..._ Eloise and the student council were seen as a prestigious group of people who rarely fraternized with outsiders.

 _Regina._

She was a member of the student council, as well as a friend of Zelena's. It was most likely that Regina had convinced Eloise to invite Zelena and Glinda to the party, so that Regina didn't look too much like an exclusive elitist alpha bitch like the rest of the student council. Zelena's mouth curled into a snarl as the thought crossed her mind. Stuffing the phone into her pocket, she set off across the school grounds, making her way to the bench where she, Regina, and Glinda usually sat when they weren't in classes.  
Upon arriving at their bench, Zelena saw that Glinda was sitting alone.  
"Morning," said Zelena as she approached. Glinda looked up from her phone.  
"Hey," she replied with a slight smile. Glinda was one of those people who tried their best to look happy, no matter the circumstances, but Zelena could tell that something was bugging her.  
"What's wrong?" Zelena asked, as she sat down next to Glinda.  
"Hm?" Glinda looked at her, "Oh, nothing. It's just that I still don't have a date for prom."  
"Ohh. Well, maybe you'll find one at Eloise's party."  
"Her... party?"  
When Zelena realized that Glinda was plainly confused, she went on.  
"You didn't get...? Eloise is having a birthday party and sent me an invite. You mean...?"  
"This is the first time I'm hearing about it," said Glinda. Zelena withdrew her phone and looked at the message again.  
 _What is going on here?_ Zelena decided that she would quiz Regina about it when she came to school. _If she comes._

By the time the bell went, Regina still hadn't arrived. Choosing not to comment about Regina's absence, Zelena walked alongside Glinda as they made their way to their first class of the day - Biology. When they entered the classroom, Miss Blanchard was holding a heavy stack of papers that Zelena recognized as the exams they had done last week. _Oh good God almighty,_ Zelena thought to herself, sitting at her usual desk while Glinda chose the one beside her.  
"I've marked your exam papers," Miss Blanchard announced, "and I'm going to hand them back to you. Your score will be written on the front page."  
Zelena glanced at Glinda, who was looking miserable. Glinda had been late to school that day thanks to Zelena, which meant that not only had she missed the exam, but she wasn't permitted to take the exam at a later date. As Zelena was reminded of this, she looked away from Glinda, trying not to feel like a complete piece of shit. After Miss Blanchard had handed out the exam papers to each student, Zelena was surprised to find that she hadn't been handed her exam again.  
"Uhh, miss?" Zelena called, raising her hand.  
"Zelena."  
"My exam wasn't handed back to me."  
"Ah," Miss Blanchard replied, "You must have been one of the students who forgot to put their name on their paper."  
Zelena watched as Miss Blanchard opened a desk drawer and withdrew a thinner pile of papers.  
"I have three here with no names," she explained, "This one looks... half-done... and then there are these two."  
Miss Blanchard flopped the two exam papers onto Zelena's desk. Zelena looked at the one that she knew was hers. _23/60._ She knew that was a fail. Tentatively, Zelena had a look at the other one, which must have been Regina's. _38/60. When the hell did Regina become an expert at Biology?_ Zelena picked up Regina's exam sheets.  
"This one," she said, "This one's mine."  
Miss Blanchard looked at it, faintly puzzled.  
"Really? I thought this one was Regina's. I mean, she's been studying so hard... err, not to say that you haven't been, but-"  
"No, this one's definitely mine," Zelena insisted, "I know, Regina and I have practically the same handwriting."  
It was true. Their handwriting was very similar, which had often resulted in Regina asking Zelena to do her assignments over the years. Miss Blanchard had a quick look through the exam papers, before nodding.  
"Alright then. 38 out of 60. Well done, Zelena, you should be proud."  
"Thank you, Miss Blanchard," said Zelena with a grin, "I _am_ proud."

When class was dismissed, Glinda stayed behind to try and convince Miss Blanchard once more to let her re-sit the exam. Zelena decided to leave her there and push on to their next class. As she made her way down the corridor, Zelena nearly bumped into Eloise Gardener.  
"Oh, hi Zelena!" Eloise beamed, as though she and Zelena were old friends.  
"Hello," said Zelena, "You haven't seen Regina by any chance, have you?"  
"We were just having a student council meeting," said Eloise, "It just finished, so I'd say Regina is headed to our next class."  
Zelena and Eloise walked side by side to their next class.  
"So, did you get my invitation?"  
"I did," Zelena replied, "You're very kind to invite me to your party, but I have so much studying to do, it's crazy."  
"Meh," said Eloise, shrugging, "We're all studying. We need a break every now and then, otherwise our lives become dull and our youth slips away from us like sand through fingers."  
 _Such a poet,_ Zelena thought sarcastically. She struggled not to let out a wry chuckle.  
"What can I say?" said Zelena, "Proms and parties just aren't my thing."  
"That's a shame," Eloise replied, "but each to their own, I guess."  
No further words were exchanged between the two, to Zelena's relief, and when they arrived at their next class, Regina was waiting outside. When she saw Zelena and Eloise approaching, she smiled.  
"Hey."  
"Zelena's not coming to my party," said Eloise. _Oh for fuck's sake._ Zelena rolled her eyes,  
"As I explained to Eloise, I just don't have the time or patience to spend on parties right now."  
"You're such a wet blanket," Regina rose from the bench she had been sitting on, "Why can't you ever just have fun?"  
"Because I'm busy trying to have a good education and secure a future for myself," Zelena answered her. Regina shook her head, and Eloise let out a sigh.  
"Fine. I understand. I'll just celebrate my birthday without you."  
And with that, Eloise left Zelena and Regina by themselves.  
"I can't believe you," Regina muttered.  
"Why was she so adamant that I go?" Zelena asked, "I barely know her."  
"She was trying to be friendly!" snapped Regina, "You know, _friendly?!_ Are you that unaware of the concept?"  
Zelena glared at her, before speaking,  
"You missed Biology."  
"I had a meeting."  
"Well, our results came back. You got 23 out of 60."  
Regina's face turned from angry to horrified in an instant.  
"That's impossible!"  
Zelena shrugged,  
"You failed, Regina. _Failed._ Aren't you familiar with the concept?"  
Without another word, Zelena walked away from Regina and entered the classroom.

After school, Zelena opted not to catch the bus home or be driven there by Glinda. Instead, she decided that the best way to find out what Eloise was up to was by visiting an old friend.  
The alleyway was the exact same as when Zelena had last visited. What appeared to be a shady and dangerous area was now familiar to Zelena as she walked down the seemingly abandoned alleyway and turned to face a large sheet of metal stuck in one of the walls, which served as a makeshift door. Zelena rapped on the metal and waited until it opened with a screech. Zelena was surprised to see that the hacker who called himself 'Hades' had gotten rid of the bright blue hair, instead reverting back to his natural dirty blonde.  
"Well, hello there," he said.  
"Hello Hades," replied Zelena, "Long time."  
Hades stepped aside, allowing Zelena to enter the dark room where Hades spent most of his time. It had once been a public restroom, but Hades had renovated it into his own study, complete with several computer screens that illuminated the place with a sickly pale glow.  
"What can I do for you?" Hades asked, returning to his swivel chair.  
"I need a favor from you."  
Hades seemed amused by this.  
"I think you're mistaken. It's you who owes _me_ a favor, sweetheart."  
 _Sweetheart, is it?_ Zelena fought the urge to slap him across the face.  
"Oh, I remember," she replied, "how about we change the deal? I'll owe you two favors."  
"Two favors?" Hades put a finger to his lips in contemplation, "Now, what two things could I possibly want from you that you'd be able to give me?"  
"How should I know until you've asked something of me?" replied Zelena, maintaining her prettiest smile.  
Hades seemed to mull this over for a bit before responding.  
"Alright. What is it you want?"  
"I need you to hack into Eloise Gardener's phone and search for anything to do with me," Zelena said, "I believe she has something planned for me, and I want to know what it is."  
Something changed in Hades's demeanor then, Zelena noticed. It had gone from smug to something she didn't quite recognize.  
"Eloise... Gardener?" Hades said.  
"That's right," Zelena replied, before narrowing her eyes, "Why? Do you know her?"  
"No. No, I'm not interested in doing your bidding. Not unless you pay me, and we both know you can't. Goodbye, Zelena."  
Zelena frowned,  
"But I'll owe you-"  
"Not. Interested. There's the door."  
Zelena gritted her teeth, before turning and storming out of the darkened room, leaving the steel door wide open behind her.

 _That lonely little hacker will learn not to deny me,_ Zelena vowed to herself as she walked down the streets. Beneath the cloudy gray sky, the world seemed much darker than usual. As she made her way through what was primarily known as the 'dodgy side of town', Zelena crossed her arms in response to the cold and started to wish she had accepted a lift home from Glinda, instead of wasting her time trying to buy a favor she couldn't afford. As she crossed an empty road, Zelena realized that there were footsteps behind her. _Oh great, I have a stalker._ Zelena turned to see who it was, but before she could get a look, someone pushed her to the ground. She fell onto her hands and knees, which were grazed on the sidewalk. The sudden pain made her hiss, but she forced herself to get back onto her feet. Looking around frantically, Zelena soon saw someone running away from her. The someone had a balaclava - and her schoolbag.  
"Hey!" Zelena ran after him, "Give that back, you fucking bastard!"  
Even while blood dripped down her legs, Zelena ran as fast as she could towards the masked menace. However, before she could intercept the guy, someone else came into her field of vision. The stranger tackled the balaclava guy to the ground and grabbed Zelena's schoolbag off of him.  
"Who do you think you are, stealing from girls?" the stranger shouted. The figure in the balaclava scrambled back to his feet and soon disappeared around a corner. Zelena stopped running and, for a moment, stared at the stranger. As she examined him, Zelena noted that he was a boy her age. He had dark hair and, as he approached her, Zelena saw that he had dark eyes as well. Dark, but friendly. When he was close enough, Zelena found herself being taken aback by how handsome he was.  
"Here," he spoke with a deep, rough voice, handing Zelena her schoolbag.  
Zelena took the schoolbag, feeling a hot flush creep up her neck.  
"Uhh..." she managed to say, "...Th-Thanks..."  
His eyes moved down to her scraped knees.  
"You're bleeding."  
Withdrawing a fresh handkerchief from his shirt pocket, the boy knelt down and wiped the blood from Zelena's legs. When he looked up at her, Zelena felt a strange sensation expanding in her chest. _What is this? What's happening to me?_  
"I can do that," she said finally, taking the handkerchief from his hand. The boy returned to his feet and smiled.  
 _Stop that,_ Zelena thought, _Stop smiling at me._ She didn't like the way her mind suddenly deserted her when he smiled at her.  
"Are you alright?"  
"Hm?" Zelena said, "Oh, yeah. Fine... who are you?"  
"I'm Nick."  
"You don't go to our school."  
Nick lifted an eyebrow,  
"Where do you go?"  
"Storybrooke High."  
"Ohh," said Nick, "That posh school. No, I go to Sherwood High."  
"Posh?" Zelena replied, "I wouldn't say it's... I mean, it's prestigious."  
"Isn't that just another word for posh?" Nick asked, with a teasing smile. Zelena found it hard not to return the smile. Instead, she smirked and shook her head.  
"Thank you for helping me, Nick, but I have to go home."  
"Where's home? Do you need a lift?"  
Zelena nearly said 'no', but stopped and considered her whereabouts.  
"Actually," she said, "That would be very much appreciated."

For a Sherwood High student, Nick had a nice car. When she climbed inside and sat in the comfortable passenger seat, Zelena noticed the fresh car smell. As they made their way to her house, Nick spoke up,  
"So, what's a girl like you doing in a dodgy area like that, anyway? Especially seeing as how you live on the other side of town."  
"I had an errand to run," replied Zelena, "Why are you so interested?"  
"Probably because you're so interesting," said Nick, "What did you say your name was again?"  
"I didn't."  
"Oh, okay. Well let me guess," Nick thought for a moment, "Britney?"  
"No."  
"Alright then. What about Nancy?"  
"No," Zelena repeated.  
"Marian?"  
"Oh god no," said Zelena, trying not to smile.  
"Rumplestiltskin?"  
"What? No."  
Nick shrugged, "Eh, it was worth a shot."  
There was silence for a moment, before Zelena spoke.  
"My name's Zelena."  
"Selena?"  
" _Zelena._ With a Z."  
"Now that's an interesting name," said Nick.  
"Well, you're the one who said I was an interesting girl," Zelena responded.  
"Yes I did," Nick smiled, "Here we are. Is this your house?"  
"Nope," said Zelena, "This is Midas Street. I live on Yellowbrick Road."  
When they finally arrived at Zelena's house, she took off her seatbelt and faced Nick.  
"Thanks again," she said, "Sorry to take you out of your way."  
"That's alright," replied Nick, "I was headed this way anyway. I have birthday shopping to do."  
"Birthday... shopping?" Zelena raised an eyebrow.  
"Yeah," Nick said, "I'm going to someone's birthday party this weekend. Actually, you might know her."  
"Eloise Gardener."  
"How'd you know?"  
"I was invited too," explained Zelena.  
"Oh, cool," replied Nick, smiling, "Well, I'll see you there."  
Zelena stepped out of the car, hoisting her schoolbag over one shoulder.  
"See you then."  
When she shut the car door, Nick's car reversed off her driveway and disappeared down the road. Zelena watched him go, before turning and racing to her front door. She swung it open and entered her house, letting her schoolbag slump to the floor and pulling out her phone. Scrolling through her phone, Zelena finally found Eloise Gardener's name on her list of contacts and dialed her number.  
"Hello Zelena," came Eloise's voice as Zelena held the phone to her ear.  
"Hey, Eloise," said Zelena, "Look, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier today. Really, really sorry. Like, super sorry. I would love to celebrate your birthday with you this weekend."  
"...Really?" said Eloise.  
"Really."


	14. Séance

Envy had been Zelena's strongest trait for years. It had shaped her into the person she was today. And yet, even as she arrived at Eloise Gardener's household, Zelena knew that she would have to fight back the the seething jealousy that had started deep within herself. When she approached the house and knocked on the front door, at least fifty seconds passed before it swung open.  
"Hey, Zelena," Eloise smiled at her, "Come in."  
She entered, clutching her gift by her side. The first thing Zelena noticed was the stack of enormous presents piled on the table next to the front door, and immediately she buried her considerably smaller gift beneath the larger ones, making sure Eloise couldn't see her hiding it.  
In the next room was a crowd of teenagers either dancing, drinking, or chatting with each other. Zelena recognized a lot of them as fellow students, but there were many that she had never seen before. Instinctively, her eyes scanned the crowd for Nick. When she couldn't find him, she looked instead for Regina, and found her standing by the punch bowl talking to a girl with blue hair.  
"Zelena," said Regina when she saw Zelena approaching, "You made it."  
"Wouldn't miss it," Zelena replied, before she turned to face the blue-haired girl.  
"Oh, this is Crystal," Regina gestured to her, "although she prefers being called–"  
"Leota," the blue-haired girl introduced herself, extending a hand formally, which Zelena hesitantly shook.  
"Leota?" Zelena said curiously.  
"It's my coven name," explained Leota.  
"You mean, like, a witch coven?"  
"I prefer the term _wiccan_."  
Zelena exchanged a look with Regina, who seemed just as apprehensive.  
"Riiight," said Zelena, nodding slowly, "Well, that's really... interesting. Does that mean you can do magic tricks?"  
She had known Regina long enough to recognize her facial expressions. The particular look on Regina's face could be summed up as _"Don't ask."_  
"I have the gifts of a medium," Leota replied, "I can communicate with the spirits of those who have passed."  
Zelena's eyes narrowed,  
"Is that right?"  
Leota nodded, "In fact, I'll be performing a séance later tonight."  
And with that, Leota walked off and disappeared into the crowd.  
"Wow," Zelena said, "Eloise sure knows how to pick her student councilors."  
"She's harmless," Regina said, "So, what are you doing here, Zelena?"  
"I was invited. Remember?"  
Regina lifted an eyebrow,  
"I remember that you didn't want to come. Why the sudden change of heart?"  
Before Zelena could come up with a response, a familiar face in the crowd caught her attention. She watched, eyes wide, as the guy who called himself Hades grabbed a plate of food from one of the tables before shuffling upstairs.  
"I have to go," Zelena said quickly in Regina's direction before making her way through the crowd and rushing up the staircase.

By the time she had traversed the stairs, Zelena looked down the hallway just in time to see one of the doors close. Quickly and quietly, she approached the door, which was covered in stickers and signs such as _Private Property_ and _No girls allowed_. Zelena scoffed, and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, Zelena knocked once again, harder this time. After a short silence, the door opened a crack, and Zelena saw a silver of Hades's face peering at her.  
"Well hello there," said Zelena, putting her hands on her hips. Before Hades could slam the door in her face, Zelena pushed her arm out and forced it wide open, before walking into Hades's dimly-lit bedroom.  
"Hey! You can't just"  
"You could've just told me you lived with Eloise Gardener," said Zelena, "What are you, her brother?"  
When Hades didn't reply, Zelena smirked and sat on his bed. The sheets were covered in a flame pattern.  
"Did you tell Eloise I came to see you about her?"  
"No," Hades said, sitting on his swivel chair.  
"Does she know?" Zelena asked, "Does she know you hack people's devices for a living?"  
"Of course not," snapped Hades, "My family don't know about my lair on the other side of town. As far as they know, I spend my days at school."  
"Your mom works at Storybrooke High," said Zelena suspiciously, "I think she'd notice if you weren't there."  
"Not Storybrooke High," Hades rolled his eyes, "I went to Sherwood High."  
Zelena froze for a moment, then looked down at her feet.  
"When you went there, did you know someone named Nick?"  
"Nick?" said Hades, "Nick, as in, Eloise's boyfriend?"  
"Eloise's... boyfriend?"  
For a moment, Zelena's world went out of focus. _I knew it was too good to be true._ Without another word, Zelena left Hades alone in his bedroom and walked down the stairs. When she descended the stairs, however, Zelena was surprised to see that the crowd wasn't the same as she had left it. The lights had been dimmed, and the crowd was gathered around a table where a circle of people sat with joined hands. On one side of the table was Leota, now dressed in strange robes, sitting with her eyes closed. When Zelena moved forwards, she noticed that the other people at the table were the members of the student council, including Regina.  
"Zelena," said Leota without opening her eyes, "Join us."  
Regina and Eloise parted hands and moved their chairs away from each other, while someone from the crowd grabbed another chair. Zelena looked around at the expectant eyes of the people around her.  
"Oh, uhh, I'm alright, thanks."  
"Join us," Leota said again.  
"Come on, Zelena," said Regina, smiling reassuringly. Tentatively, Zelena approached the table and sat on the empty chair, joining hands with Regina and Eloise. Only then did Leota open her eyes.  
"Now that we are joined, we can begin."

"I ask that everyone at this table clear their minds, and suspend their disbelief. I shall now attempt to reach out to the souls of the departed who dwell on the other side. I call out to the spirits who are here tonight, I call out to the souls of those who have long since passed, is there anyone who wishes to speak with us?"  
The silence that followed seemed to go on forever. Zelena turned her head to try and catch Regina's eye, but she was surprised to see that Regina's eyes were closed, as were the others at the table. _What have I gotten myself into?_ Zelena begrudgingly closed her eyes. When Leota spoke again, her voice was somehow deeper, and unfamiliar.  
"Something is calling to me," she spoke, "calling to me... who are you, wandering spirit? What message have you for us? ...There is a man, a dead man, a hanged man, and he is whispering to me. He says... there is a murderer in here with us."  
Zelena heard murmurs and whispers throughout the crowd. Eloise's hand twitched against hers. _Is Nick really your boyfriend?_  
"...The hanged man has spoken," Leota went on, "He tells me the story of his death. He worked at Storybrooke High School, until he was forced to end his life when a girl tore his life apart and destroyed him. I see a face... I see a face, and it belongs to... Mr. Walsh."  
The murmurs grew louder, and Zelena opened her eyes suddenly, letting go of Regina and Eloise's hands.  
"Who killed you, Mr. Walsh?" asked Leota to the open darkness, "Who is responsible for your demise?"  
When Leota's eyes opened, she stared directly at Zelena. Zelena stared back at her, seething with silent fury. Then, Leota's eyes moved away from Zelena.  
"Regina."  
Regina opened her eyes, to see that Leota was now staring at her.  
"What?" Regina muttered.  
"He says that you blackmailed him into putting you into the Gold classes," Leota said, "He tells me that when he threatened to expose you and demote you to the Silver classes, you hired a hacker to post explicit and illegal material onto Mr. Walsh's computer."  
Regina stood up, pushing her chair back as it scraped across the floor.  
"What the fuck are you talking about?!"  
Everyone was staring at Regina now, except Zelena. She was still staring at Leota, unblinking, her mind going about a thousand miles per second.  
"The spirits have spoken," Leota replied calmly, "Have you anything to say for yourself?"  
"You're full of shit!" spat Regina, "I never blackmailed everyone! And I've never contacted any hacker!"  
"Pull out your phone, then," said Leota, "Show us your messages."  
"Fine!" Regina withdrew her phone from one of her pockets and unlocked it before going through her messages. It was then, that Regina's face slowly turned from anger to fear. "Wh... what is this?!"  
Zelena stood up suddenly and craned her neck over Regina's shoulder to get a look at her phone. She was scrolling through messages between herself and somebody else. _The same messages between me and Hades._ Zelena couldn't breathe. As she turned away from Regina, she saw Hades sitting on the staircase from her peripheral vision. Regina was shaking now as well, tears forming in her eyes.  
"What is this?!" she repeated, slamming her phone down on the table and snarling at Leota, who stayed still and calm.  
"Regina," Eloise put a hand on her shoulder, but Regina whirled and punched Eloise across the face so suddenly that, for a moment, nobody moved or said anything. In that split second of silence, Zelena made eye contact with Regina. Then, the room erupted into a loud uproar that seemed to fill Zelena's mind with deafening chaos. As Eloise grabbed Regina and pulled her down into a fistfight on the floor, Zelena turned and staggered over to the staircase, where Hades was now standing over her.  
"I don't understand..." she said, her voice barely a whisper.  
"Come," Hades extended an arm down to her, "Come with me. I'll explain everything."  
Zelena looked at Hades's hand for a moment, before taking it in her own and following him back up the stairs as the mayhem ensued behind them.

Lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan, Zelena listened as Hades explained what had just happened.  
"But, why?" Zelena asked, still staring upwards, "Why would they throw Regina under the bus?"  
"I'm not sure," Hades replied, "Eloise is planning something, and she needed my help to do it. She and her friends on the student council are as close as sisters, but Regina is still an outsider to them. If I had to guess, I'd say that Regina simply wasn't fulfilling their needs, and that they needed an excuse to boot her from the student council. The police will have been called by now, and the evidence I planted on Regina's phone will be enough to reopen the investigation into Mr. Walsh's death."  
"But Regina's mother is the principal," said Zelena, "Do you really think she'll stand for this?"  
"I don't know what to expect," said Hades, "All I know is that I'm glad I don't go to Storybrooke High School."  
Zelena sat up. She had been fully expecting Crystal, or Leota – or whatever she called herself – to expose her in front of everyone at the party. By doing the opposite and accusing Regina of committing Zelena's crimes... _Is this Eloise's way of inviting me onto the student council?_ By even bringing up the matter of Mr. Walsh's suicide, it was obvious that Eloise knew what had really happened, or at least suspected as much.  
"Did you tell Eloise about our previous dealings?" Zelena demanded. Hades didn't say anything. Zelena got off Hades's bed and paced the bedroom, feeling Hades's eyes following her. _Eloise planned this from the start. She's been moving me around like a piece in her game._ Zelena tried to remember where she had heard about Hades in the first place.  
"If this goes wrong," said Zelena, "I need you to choose between your sister or me."  
Hades let out a dry chuckle, "What kind of choice is that?"  
Zelena walked over to Hades and straddled him suddenly,  
"The choice between your family... and _this_."  
When she kissed him, Zelena knew at once that this was Hades's first kiss. She felt his inexperience in her mouth and on her lips, but his enthusiasm made up for it. When he rose from his chair, Zelena wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her over to his bed.


	15. Questions

Zelena leaned forward in her seat,  
"Is Eloise coming today?"  
She was sitting in the brightly lit conference room with the rest of the student council, apart from Eloise Gardener.  
"Eloise will be here shortly," replied Seraphina, "She is just answering some questions from the authorities. After all, the whole... _seance_ incident happened at her house."  
Seraphina glanced across the conference table at the blue-haired girl who called herself 'Leota'. In truth, she was some pseudo-spiritual fraud named Crystal, and Zelena knew full well that Eloise had told her to say what she'd said at the party.  
"So..." Anastasia spoke up, "Will the cops ask us all questions?"  
"I wouldn't say so," Seraphina said placidly, "They're concerned with Mr. Walsh's suicide, not with what happened at Eloise's party. Only the accusation, and later, the assault took place there, and that was only between two people."  
 _And someone got it on camera_ , Zelena recalled silently. There were many people at the party that night, with many of them being fellow students at Storybrooke High, but the fact that Regina's attack on Eloise was shared to social media was the final nail in the coffin. Bad behavior was not an option for Gold class students. Zelena knew that, at the front office, Regina's mom - the principal - would be trying her hardest to cover up what happened and placate the authorities using any means necessary, but not even the formidable Cora Mills could make something vanish from the Internet.  
Eloise eventually arrived, striding into the conference room as though she owned the place. Zelena stood up with the others, and only sat down when Eloise took her seat at the opposite end of the table. She had been mildly surprised at this act of respect and courtesy towards Eloise by the other members of the student council. _After all, she's only student council president._ Zelena could imagine how powerful Eloise felt in the position she was in, but wondered whether or not the inevitable enmity between Eloise and Mrs. Mills would jeopardize her future in the student council. The president of the student council, after all, was second only to the principal of Storybrooke High. Destroying Regina's reputation was a risky move, and Zelena had asked herself a hundred times why Eloise would do such a thing. She couldn't see what Eloise had to gain from alienating Regina, apart from having Zelena join the council.  
 _So then, why didn't she recruit me in the first place?_ Zelena knew she had to be wary of Eloise Gardener.  
Eloise still had a black eye and a reddened, swollen cheek from where Regina had punched her in the face.  
"We have a lot to do," she said quietly, "The prom is three nights from now."  
"Are you sure?" Wendy asked, "Are you sure you don't want to wait until..."  
Wendy stared at Eloise's facial injuries, which stood out even more as Eloise glowered across the table.  
"Until what?"  
"Nothing," said Wendy, sinking slightly in her chair. Zelena looked down at her hands while the rest of the student council discussed the upcoming prom night. She had nobody to go with, and had not planned on going anyway. Initially, Zelena thought that perhaps she would go with Nick to prom, before she had found out that Nick was, in fact, Eloise's boyfriend. For a moment, Zelena imagined going with Hades, and nearly scoffed at the notion.

"Zelena?"  
"Hm?" Zelena looked up, realizing that the entirety of the student council was looking in her direction.  
"Are you still with us?" Eloise asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Oh. Sorry, yes. I was just..."  
"Who did you say you were going to the prom with?"  
For a moment, Zelena only stared at Eloise. When she responded, it was all Zelena could do to keep the poison out of her voice.  
"I didn't," she said, "I'm not going."  
"Yes, you are," said Eloise, looking mildly confused, "It's compulsory for student council members to attend prom, so you better find someone."  
"Ah," Zelena said, nodding slowly, "Who are you going with, then?"  
Eloise smiled, but Zelena saw that her eyes remained cold and hard.  
"I'll be going with Phillip."  
Zelena was so taken aback by surprise that she couldn't control herself.  
"What?!"  
"I said, I'm going with Phillip," Eloise repeated. "You know, from the school basketball team?"  
"Oh..." Zelena murmured, still stunned by this news.

When the student council meeting finally concluded, everyone rose from their seats and left the conference room. Everyone except Zelena and Eloise. Zelena lingered until they were the only two people in the room, before approaching Eloise.  
"Uh, Eloise?"  
"What is it?" Eloise looked up from her phone.  
"I was just wondering..." Zelena took a moment, "...wondering, why do you want me on the student council? I mean, I'm grateful and all, but I don't really get what there's–"  
"We broke up," said Eloise.  
"I-I'm sorry?" muttered Zelena.  
"Nick and I broke up. That's why you're really here, isn't it? I saw the look on your face when I told you who I'm going to prom with."  
"I'm... sorry to hear that," Zelena said, trying her best to look solemn and sympathetic.  
"Thank you," Eloise gave a small smile, "I'm not exactly pleased about going with Phillip to the prom, but... I had to go with _someone_."  
"I understand."  
They left the conference room together, and walked side by side as they made their way to their next class.  
"How did the interrogation go?" asked Zelena, "At the front office, I mean."  
"It went well," said Eloise, "You'll find, Zelena, that I have a gift with twisting the truth to suit my needs. Or rather, _our_ needs."  
"Our?"  
"Look around, Zelena. Not only are you in the Gold classes and the student council, but Regina is facing a dozen charges ranging from assault to being a full-fledged accomplice in someone's death."  
Zelena thought for a moment,  
"But what about Mrs. Mills? She knows what actually happened"  
"She suspects what happened," Eloise interjected, "There's a strong difference. Without evidence, Mrs. Mills has nothing. And, with my brother's skills, we can make sure she never finds what she wants."  
"Hades never told me that he was your brother?"  
Eloise let out a bark of laughter that echoed down the corridor.  
" _Hades_? That's what he calls himself?"  
"Well, yeah..." said Zelena, feeling a little silly. "What's his real name, then?"  
"Chad. I have no idea where he got 'Hades' from!"  
"Me neither."  
 _So, his name's Chad. Chad Gardener._ With the amount of enemies he probably had, Zelena decided that it was well worth holding onto that information, just in case she ever needed it.


End file.
